U.S. patent number 4,023,321 [Application Number 05/545,472] was granted by the patent office on 1977-05-17 for layered roofing shingle with dead-air space.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Billy G. Powers. Invention is credited to Robert L. Smith.
United States Patent |
4,023,321 |
Smith |
May 17, 1977 |
Layered roofing shingle with dead-air space
Abstract
A roofing shingle consisting of an upper layer of composition
roofing material, a lower layer of waterproof roofing felt, and an
intermediate layer spacing the upper and lower layers apart, all of
the layers being firmly bonded together. The intermediate layer may
function to provide a dead-air space for purposes of heat
insulation, or may consist of tubular members permitting free
circulation of air between the upper and lower layers. The
composite structure of the shingle gives it a bending strength
highly resistant to curling or other damage by high wind, and the
lower layer may be extended to underlie adjacent shingles in the
same course, so as to provide a waterproof under-layer for the
upper layers.
Inventors: |
Smith; Robert L. (Newkirk,
OK) |
Assignee: |
Powers; Billy G. (Arkansas
City, KS)
|
Family
ID: |
24176384 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/545,472 |
Filed: |
January 30, 1975 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
52/553; 52/518;
52/576; 52/528; 52/750 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04D
1/29 (20190801); E04D 1/24 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
E04D
1/00 (20060101); E04D 1/26 (20060101); E04D
1/12 (20060101); E04D 1/22 (20060101); E04D
001/28 (); E04D 001/30 () |
Field of
Search: |
;52/533,543,553,518,528,615,305,576,750,302 ;428/188,176 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
182,512 |
|
Dec 1954 |
|
OE |
|
2,250,555 |
|
Apr 1974 |
|
DT |
|
1,203,443 |
|
Oct 1965 |
|
DT |
|
404,226 |
|
Jan 1934 |
|
UK |
|
561,025 |
|
May 1944 |
|
UK |
|
Primary Examiner: Braun; Leslie
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Hamilton; John A.
Claims
What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:
1. A generally rectangular roofing shingle adapted to be applied to
a sloping roof so as to have upper and lower edges transverse to
the slope of the roof and side edges parallel to said slope, said
shingle comprising:
a. an outer layer of flexible material,
b. an inner layer of flexible material,
c. an intermediate layer providing an air space between outer and
inner layers, said intermediate layer comprising a series of
generally parallel tubular members extending at right angles to the
upper and lower edges of the shingle, each of said tubular members
opening through the lower edge of said shingle and terminating in
spaced relation below the upper edge of the shingle, and a spacer
strip of solid, flexible material disposed between said outer and
inner layers between the upper ends of said tubular members and the
upper edge of said shingle, said spacer strip being spaced apart
from the upper ends of said tubular members whereby to form an air
passage interconnecting all of said tubular members at their upper
ends, and means sealing the ends of said air passage at the
respective side edges of said shingle, and
d. means bonding said outer, inner and intermediate layers together
to form a unitary structure, said shingle being adapted to be
secured to a roof structure adjacent its upper edge, whereby said
elongated tubular members of said intermediate layer serve to
stiffen said shingle against flexure normally to its plane about
any axis parallel to its upper and lower edges.
2. A shingle as recited in claim 1 wherein the tubular members of
said intermediate layer terminate short of the lower edge of said
shingle, and with the addition a spacer strip of solid, flexible
material secured between the lower edge portions of said outer and
inner layers, below said tubular members, and extending to the
lower edge of said shingle.
Description
This invention relates to new and useful improvements in roofing
shingles.
The principal object of the present invention is the provision of a
roofing shingle, basically of the type consisting of a thick
asphalt composition layer to the outer surface of which is bonded a
layer of fine, granular chat, having means providing an air space
beneath said composition layer for purposes of heat insulation
providing protection against the transfer of heat inwardly through
the shingled roof in hot weather, and outwardly through the roof in
cold weather.
Generally, this object is accomplished by the provision of a
shingle having three layers, an outer or upper layer of ordinary
composition roofing, a lower layer of any suitable material such as
roofing felt, or "tarpaper", and a thick intermediate layer so
constructed as to provide an air space between the upper and lower
layers. The air space may be substantially closed or sealed,
whereby to provide a dead-air-space type of insulation, or may be
constructed to provide for free circulation of outdoor air between
the upper and lower layers, whereby to provide a still better
protection against heat transfer through the roof.
Another object is the provision of a shingle of the character
described which is relatively stiff and resistant to bending or
flexure thereof transversely to its plane, whereby to resist
peeling or curling of the shingles by high wind. This stiffness is
provided by the design and structure of the intermediate layer of
the shingle.
A further object is the provision of a shingle of the character
described which, despite its stiffness, will lie neatly and flatly
on the roof even when they are applied in the usual overlapping
pattern. This effect is provided by weakening the intermediate
layer along selected lines.
A still further object is the provision of a shingle of the
character described which does away with the necessity of applying
a "dry-ply", usually a sheet of roofing felt, over the roofing
boards before applying the shingles, as is customary. This effect
is provided by forming the inner layer of the shingle itself of
roofing felt, and extending it beyond the upper layer at one side
of the shingle, so as to underlie the adjacent shingle in the same
course of shingles as they are applied.
Other objects are simplicity and economy of structure, and
efficiency and dependability of operation.
With these objects in view, as well as other objects which will
appear in the course of the specification, reference will be had to
the accompanying drawing, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a face view of a roofing shingle embodying the present
invention, with portions broken away,
FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken on line
II--II of FIG. 1,
FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line III--III of FIG.
1,
FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken on line
IV--IV of FIG. 3,
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line V--V of FIG.
4,
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of a roof, taken along a
line parallel to the slope thereof, showing a plurality of courses
of the present shingles applied thereto,
FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 1, showing a slight modification
of structure, and
FIG. 8 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken on line
VIII--VIII of FIG. 7.
Like reference numerals apply to similar parts throughout the
several views, and the numeral 2 applies generally to a roofing
shingle constructed according to the present invention. Said
shingle is generally rectangular in shape, and for convenience one
of the longer edges 4 thereof will be designated its upper edge,
its opposite longer edge 6 will be designated its lower edge, and
its shorter edges 8 will be designated its side edges.
In the form of the shingle shown in FIGS. 1-6, each shingle 2
consists of an outer layer 10, which may comprise ordinary
asphaltic composition roofing material, an inner layer 12, which
may consist of a layer of roofing felt, or "tarpaper", and an
intermediate layer designated generally by the numeral 14, disposed
between outer layer 10 and inner layer 12. As shown, said
intermediate layer includes of a continuous series of tubes 16
formed of plastic or other suitable material, disposed in
side-by-side relation, touching or nearly touching each other, and
extending in parallel relation between upper edge 4 and lower edge
6 of the shingle, parallel to side edges 8. The tubes are connected
to said outer and inner layers by roofing cement 18 or other
suitable adhesive material. These tubes, which resemble soda
straws, are open throughout their lengths and at both ends, and are
preferably of a diameter somewhat greater than the thickness of
composition roofing outer layer 10 of the shingle. The lower ends
of the tubes extend flush with and open through lower edge 6 of the
shingles, but terminate at their upper ends short of upper shingle
edge 4, along a line parallel to edge 4. The remaining space
between outer and inner layers 10 and 12 is largely filled with a
spacer strip 20, which may also be of composition roofing material,
having a thickness equal to the diameter of tubes 16, and being
cemented to said outer end inner layers. Said spacer is, however,
spaced slightly apart from the upper ends of tubes 16, leaving an
air passage 22 therebetween. The ends of said passage are sealed as
by roofing cement, as indicated at 24 in FIG. 1.
In applying shingles as thus far described to the boards 26 of a
sloping roof as shown in FIG. 6, the lowermost course of shingles
is applied in a horizontal line transverse to the roof slope, with
side edges 8 of adjacent shingles abutting, and secured by nails 28
driven through the shingles adjacent their upper edges 4. The next
higher course of shingles is then applied, being offset upwardly
along the roof slope to leave a portion of the top surface of the
shingles of the lower course exposed to the weather, and nailed in
place in the same manner as the lower course. This of course is the
usual manner of applying roofing shingles, well known in the art.
In the present case, nails 28 may be driven through the top edge
portion of each shingle occupied by spacer 20, the spacers thus
providing support for the nail heads, and preventing any
possibility that tubes 16 could be crushed by hammer blows. The
individual shingles of adjacent courses are staggered horizontally
relative to each other to avoid leaving cracks between the shingles
through which rain or other moisture could pass directly to roofing
boards.
Preferably somewhat less than half of the width of a shingle
between its upper and lower edges is exposed to the weather. For
example, if the shingle is 12 inches wide, perhaps 5 inches thereof
adjacent its lower edge 6 is exposed to the weather, so that 7
inches of the shingles in the next higher course of shingles will
overlie the tops of the shingles in the next lower course. In this
manner, the entire area of the roof will be covered by at least a
double layer of shingles, which is considered to be desirable. This
is called "double-roofing". The shingle may be notched inwardly
from its lower edge at intervals along its length, as indicated at
30 in FIG. 1, to give a decorative effect causing the shingles to
resemble wood shingles when they are applied to the roof. These
notches should extend no farther from the lower shingle edge 6 than
that portion of the shingle which is to be exposed to the weather,
or 5 inches in the exemplary dimensions discussed above.
The lower ends of the tubes 16 are then open to the atmosphere at
the exposed edges of the shingles, and their upper ends open in air
passages 22. This permits a generally free circulation of outdoor
air between the outer and inner layers of the shingles, which does
much to reduce and inhibit the transfer of outdoor heat through the
shingles and roof during hot weather. The slope of the tubes
together with their long lengths as compared to their diameters,
renders it unlikely that any rain or other moisture will be blown
all the way upwardly therethrough to enter beneath the shingles.
Nevertheless, some water might be blown all the way to the tops of
the tubes, particularly in the span of notches 30, wherein the
tubes are necessarily shorter. However, any such water enters air
passage 22, which is sealed, so that said water can escape only by
again flowing downwardly through the tubes to the outer surface of
the next lower course of shingles.
It will be seen also that tubes 16, although individually of no
great strength, will nevertheless by virtue of their large number
and the fact that they are cemented firmly to outer and inner
layers 10 and 12, impart a greatly increased strength to each
shingle against flexure normally to its plane. This added stiffness
greatly increases the resistance of the shingles to upward curling
or "peeling" of the unsecured lower edge portions thereof in high
winds. Damage resulting from this cause during windstorms is of
course very common.
Nevertheless, the stiffness imparted to a shingle by tubes 16 could
also prevent the shingles from lying flat on the roof. That is,
while the tubes do not render the shingles absolutely rigid, it
will be seen that when the upper edge of a shingle is secured by
nails 28, it must first be angled outwardly from the roof boards in
order to pass over the rearward edge of the next lower shingle.
This could create problems in driving the nails with sufficient
force to bring the top portion of the shingle flush against the
board, and also result in an uneven or irregular bending or folding
of the shingle. Also, the lower edge 6 of the shingle would then be
spaced upwardly apart from the top surface of the next lower
shingle. To prevent these occurrences, the tubes 16 are weakened in
bending strength along a line 32 parallel to the upper and lower
edges 4 and 6 of the shingle and spaced apart from lower edge 6 of
the shingle by a distance equal to the distance said shingle will
overlie the next lower shingle, or 7 inches in the exemplary
dimensions discussed above. This weakening is accomplished by
forming a short series of accordian-type folds 34 in the wall of
the tube, as best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, thus rendering the tubes
easily bendable at the desired points. Nails 28 are driven through
the shingles in the area thereof including spacer 20. The shingle
may thus bend relatively freely at the line of air passage 22,
since there are no tubes present along this line, to angle
outwardly from the roof boards to pass over upper edge 4 of the
next lower shingle, and then bend downwardly at line 32; which is
disposed directly over edge 4 of the next lower shingle, to rest
neatly against the top surface of the lower shingle, as shown in
FIG. 6. The bending of the shingle as described is not freely or
pliably flexible, but the folding at air passage 22 will be forced
when nails 28 are driven and the folding at line 32 will occur
gradually by gravity due to the weight of the shingle after the
shingles are applied. The stiffness of the shingles imparted by
tubes 16 still offers good protection against wind peeling or
curling thereof despite the weakening at the desired lines. Both
the composition roofing of outer shingle layer 10 and the roofing
felt inner layer 12 are amply yieldable in their own planes, both
in tension and compression, to resist breakage or tearing thereof
at the bend lines with the small degree of flexure required.
The use of roofing felt, or other suitable waterproof sheet
material, as the inner layer 12 of the present shingle, virtually
eliminates any necessity of the usual practice of applying a
separate "dry-ply" over the roofing boards, usually a layer of the
same roofing felt, before applying the shingles, when ordinary
shingles are used. The waterproofing supplied by inner layers 12 of
the present shingles is quite effectively continuous and
uninterrupted so long as the courses are overlapped as shown, and
the shingles in each course are horizontally staggered relative to
the shingles in adjacent courses. Nevertheless, a final improvement
in this "dry-ply" effect is provided by extending layer 12
outwardly from one side edge 8 of each shingle to form a tab 36
extending along only that portion of the width of the shingle not
exposed to the weather, or along the top 7 inches of said side edge
in the exemplary dimensions given above. As each shingle is
applied, the side edge thereof having no tab overlies the tab of
the previously applied shingle in the same horizontal course, and
preferably at least one of nails 28 is so placed as to pierce tab
32 and the shingle overlying it. This virtually eliminates any
possibility of the leakage of water between the abutting side edges
of adjacent shingles.
FIGS. 7 and 8 show a shingle 2' of slightly modified construction,
which is substantially identical to that shown in FIGS. 1-6,
corresponding parts being indicated by corresponding primed
numerals, except that the plastic tubes 16' terminate inwardly from
lower edge 6' of the shingle, and the resulting space between inner
and outer layers 10' and 12' of the shingle is filled by a narrow
spacer strip 38 of composition roofing material which is
permanently bonded to outer layer 10' and inner layer 12'. Any
slight spacing 40 between spacer 38 and the tube ends is sealed at
its ends by roofing cement, as indicated at 42. This spacer
obstructs and largely prevents any free circulation of outdoor air
through tubes 16', such as occurs in the species of the invention
shown in FIGS. 1-6, so that the heat insulation provided by the air
trapped in the tubes is largely of the "dead air space" type. The
strip also provides a neater, more finished appearance to the
completed roof. It will be seen that since the air circulating in
tubes 16 in the shingle of FIGS. 1-6 is outdoor air, it is
primarily effective in preventing the heat of the sun-warmed outer
layer 10 inwardly through the roof, while if the building interior
is heated, as in cold weather, such circulation would result in
more direct loss of building heat to the outside atmosphere. In the
latter case, the dead air space provided by the shingles of FIGS.
7-8 would be more effective. Accordingly, the shingles of FIGS. 1-6
are considered preferable in warm climates, where the building
interior is most often cooler than the outside atmosphere, while
the shingles of FIGS. 7-8 are preferable in colder climates, where
the building interior is most often warmer than the outside
atmosphere.
While I have shown and described certain specific embodiments of my
invention, it will be readily apparent that many minor changes of
structure and operation could be made without departing from the
spirit of the invention.
* * * * *